Inuyasha, and demons, and yōkai, Oh my!
by Shinjite Florana
Summary: Topic: Inuyasha, demon, full demon and the concept of yōkai. What I consider a short rant on demons in Inuyasha, and yōkai in general. Made to help better understand the personality of Inuyasha in my fanfic New Life, but just look what it turned into! o.O


_Shinjite's light rant._

A Fluffy Yōkai production (He knows who he is)

**Topic**: Inuyasha, demon, full demon and the concept of yōkai

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and all my information is mostly my own. If I've got my facts wrong, please tell me! I'd like to correct myself.

_**Part 1**_, Demons vs. Yōkai and Bakemono

Today, let's start off with a definition. When referring to "demons" we think of things a lot different from what it means when referring to yōkai.

Demons: evil spirits of Hell. When the angel Lucifer became jealous and greedy of God's power, he, and a group of other traitor angels, revolved against God and war broke out in heaven. God, being all powerful, could never, and was not, overthrown. As punishment, Lucifer and the other turncoat Angels were hurled down to "the abyss" to suffer for eternity in Hell, which came into existence, and became Lucifer's prison as well has his domain. Lucifer, being the Devil. The other fallen angels, his demons to do his horrid bidding.

Angels, unlike humans, are caused physical pain as well as emotional and spiritual suffering when separated from God. This is why demons are pictured as grotesque and terrifying creatures. And, with the kind we're talking about, they are.

Now we turn to the definition of Yōkai. Yōkai's closest similarity in western mythos is that of the spirits and other fairies in Irish or Celtic mythology. They are seen as tricksters, and mischievous, but not always evil. The kitsune, or "fox demons" are a perfect example of this. Known for their illusions and being able to take the form of others, they were much like the fey people of Ireland.

Bakemono: literally means a changed thing - something altered and moved beyond its natural state – commonly called a monster. Yōkai are a sect of bakemono, for they are divided into many different sections, and by all means, all of them are not evil. A few sects are that of heavenly beings, there as protectors, much like our concept of angels. In the anime _InuYasha_, they refer a lot to yōkai as "demons" because most of the yōkai shown are that of the Hell-dwelling ones (Oni). The demons that Inuyasha fights are these types. I'm going to go more in-depth of the concept of demons in Inuyasha currently.

_**Part 2**_, Demons of InuYasha

Well, to organize my thoughts, I'll start off with a question.

**If Inuyasha is only **_**half**_** demon, them why is he stronger than most (if not all) other yōkai?**

Let me answer with a question of my own,

**If my brother Kevin in human, why is he weaker than other humans like Arnold Schwarzenegger (was), and "most other" body builders?**

The point is, just because they're the same race, doesn't mean they're the same strength. In this case, Inuyasha isn't even technicality the same race as many of the other Oni he commonly fights. The only others who would share in his "race" would be other dog "demons," such as his older half-brother Sesshomarou. (The owner of _Fluffy Yōkai productions_™! _Fluffy_- HEY! I DIDN'T AGREE TO THAT!) or his dead Father.

I could have also asked,

**If this vole is a carbon-based life form, them why is it weaker than an alligator?**

Get my point? The two species are incomparable. Koga is pretty strong, but not stronger then Inuyasha (as far as we know. Remember, he has two shards that aren't his natural power.), which means that wolf yōkai are strong when compared to dog demons, or at least Koga's tribe, and a _half_ dog demon. All things considered, I think Sesshomaru would kick Koga's butt. Why's this? I mean, if Inuyasha is a match for Koga as a half demon, and Sesshomaru isn't as strong as his father yet, doesn't that say something for the fathering Great Dog Lord's might? I think so. Which brings me to my next paragraph, lineage.

Normally, if a talent or skill is passed on from generation to generation, it gets better. The same thing here's with might/strength/power and yōkai. Because Inuyasha is the half demon of the unproclaimed Dog god, wouldn't he be considered strong, even compared to other yōkai? A half wolf demon would never be as strong as Inuyasha, because of the lineage. Inuyasha is so strong partly because his father is Inu no Taishou. Like animals, instinct as well as might is passed on.

Remember when Inuyasha had to find a way to break Naraku's barrier (where Inuyasha gets the power to "turn Tetsusaiga red") and he had to travel to that shore village with the big bat yōkai? Yeah, there was a hanyu there, (she was half bat demon) a small girl that proved to be even stronger then her full-blooded yōkai relatives in controlling the barrio which apparently their clan/tribe were known for. In this episode we meet the child's mother, who says that since InuYasha is himself a half-demon, he knows that half demons can be just as strong, if not stronger (as they often seem to be) than full demons. I personally base this on the strength of human emotions and will, but that's just my opinion, so I won't really go into it.

Lastly, as to Inuyasha's personal strength, his pure will and personality play a big part. Have you ever seen this guy give up? Because I sure haven't! Inuyasha has a thirst to prove himself, prove that hanyu, or half yōkai, are not inferior, himself being one _and _stronger them most "full demos." Hanyu are not normally that strong, because, like I said, part of it's the linage. Also, most of the more powerful demons would never dream of having a child with a human, oni would rather eat them, where the not-so-evil yōkai would just steer clear of the weak race. For that's what humans are considered, weak.

_**Part 3**_, Inuyasha's demon side, and demon blood vs. actual full demons

In the anime and manga, inuyasha's "demon blood" is both awakened and apparently sealed. First off, a question!

If Inuyasha's demon side is activated when his life is in danger and can only be stopped/sealed/controlled by Tetsusaiga, why hadn't he transformed before his encounter with Goshinki? (The demon that first broke the Tetsusaiga )

[edit] First, and probably the most important fact, let's think : Were Tetsusaiga was found? In his Dad's grave. Where was his Dad's grave? In his _EYE_. He couldn't very well lose it. He couldn't _use_ it, either, but it was there, sealing his demon blood and keeping our dog-boy sane.

It's not that he hadn't been in any life threatening situations before that, it just that, the situations he was in during his transformations were much more life threatening. Inuyasha was literally dieing on the ground, the situation being with Tetsusaiga broken, the known fact that he would never be able to defeat Goshinki without it, the whole loss of it all, and that he would die. It must have been overwhelming to him. With the moth demon Gatenmaru, Inuyasha was also literally dieing from the poison, becoming weaker every moment. Also, Inuyasha's not one to give up easily, to admit death as his fate would send him into a crazed and panicked state, and without the comforting knowledge of Tetsusaiga , he would defiantly transform into his demon side in the chaos of the situation.

Inuyasha is a half demon. He's not two people merged into one being, a demon side and a human side, you couldn't separate a person like that. He doesn't have two minds or two ways of thinking. He's one person. A half German half Irish person doesn't have one way of thinking like someone German, and one way of thinking like an Irishman, the same is with Inuyasha- to an extent. We confuse things by adding an animal's instinct. Demons are not human, so mixing animistic qualities to a civilized human produces, well, someone like Inuyasha.

When Inuyasha turns "full demon" in self-defense of his own life, he's not truly "full demon." His mind is being overtaken by pure animistic, and to an extent demonic, instinct. When Sesshomaru questions that ancient talking tree (which is a _little_ odd, by the way, even for Sesshomaru) that the sheaths for the Twin Fangs, Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga, were made out of, He relates that Inuyasha is a half demon, and can never really be a "full demon." The tree tells how it's a defense mechanism, and that InuYasha will never have the same ability that full-demons like Sesshomau have on his own. His wits!

Inuyasha LOSES it. The Demon power and instincts that come with it, the pleasure in killing, are too strong for him, and he is completely controlled by them. Even cute little Shippo has this full-demon ability to resist his demonic urges (although being a fox kitsune, and not a very violent race to begin with, he probably doesn't have to deal with the raw killing power InuYasha has to, passed down from his father.) A normal yōkai isn't like that. They have more sense that even-outs with the need to survive and kill that takes Inuyasha's mind over. The experience is painful for Inuyasha. The real Inuyasha, and not the pure instinct. That's why his barriers to it, and his ability to keep it in check with the rest of his mind weakens every time he transforms. How then, do you ask, he defeats the dragon Ryuukossei? Again, just like with his strength and abilities, it has a lot to do with his personality's pure will. He wills his mind to stay in check with the inhumanly intense need to survive by any means, including, and basically by means of, killing any and everything indiscriminately, barely, if at all, considering threat level.

The killing of Ryuukossei does not _really_ completely seal his demonic out-breaks. What it _is_ is more of a symbol. By the defeating of the dragon that wounded his father, he proves his strength to control both his demonic side as well as strength to save himself, and his skill and reliability with Tetsusaiga . It proves that he wouldn't leave Tetsusaiga and has the strength to hold onto it, making it physically lighter, so that he can wield it and not lose it. If he ever was in a deathly situation where he was literally dying and was without Tetsusaiga , he would "transform". The "transformation" being when his bodying is overtaken by the urge to live of the most primitive sort.

Inuyasha wanted the jewel to become "full demon." What the jewel does is still much of a mystery. We do know that a small shard of it could enhance the power of a demon to great lengths, and if Inuyasha was planning to use the jewel in that manner, he would not really become "fully" or "truly" demon. He would be as strong, if not stronger than one, but it would be the jewels enhancing power, not Inuyasha himself. It would most likely affect him so that his more demonic side would be more prominent while his humanity faded, since the jewel strengthens demons in that way, and if humans want power from the jewel they'd have to find other ways.

To be fully yōkai, Inuyasha would have to change his mother's DNA in him completely, or, simply convert it to that of yōkai. We would need a little magic (which we have plenty of in InuYahsa) to turn him full demon and keep Inuyasha; son of Inu no Taishou and Izayoi. I found a way to do so in my fanfiction, New Life. In it, I make the Shika-no-tama have the ability to, …well I'm not quite sure, (-.-') but it grants the wish of Kagome, maybe using her miko, or sacred priestess abilities as power to use or activate it. Although he keeps his personality, he is more reserved and thinks thing through better, not to mention more carefully. In a respect, he's more like Sessomaru, with a worse temper and more of an ego. It's difficult thing to do! If you've got time, you could read it and tell me what you think.

End

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This whole thing was started by me wanting to explain my thoughts on how I portrayed Inuyasha in _New life_, but it develop into this (what I consider a short) rant. If you've read this far, I hope you got something out of it. Reviews are not only welcome, they're mandatory! I really need you to tell me either what you think about it, what you got out of it, or what you didn't. If there's a problem with my facts, a grammatical or spelling error, or something else that's wrong, I need to know to fix it! Even if It's a one word- no, one _letter_ review, I'll greatly appreciate it.

Okay, this is Shinjite, over and out!


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